WE were having lunch at Alamanda, Putrajaya, the weekend before Merdeka when we heard singing coming from the concourse.
Two old men calling themselves Patriot Buskers were performing evergreen Malay songs. The first song was an oldie, Datuk M. Nasir’s Ekspres Rakyat when he was with the group, Kembara.
Their second song caught my attention as well as my brother’s. We actually sang along to it, much to the amusement of his children.
It was Setia. No, it isn’t a pop song but a patriotic one and a classic. Setia was penned by the late Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat, who was then information minister.
Some say it was Malaysia’s second “national anthem”.
I can still remember national broadcaster Radio & Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) airing the song before transmission ends at midnight.
The choir singers, dressed in their respective traditional costumes, singing “Demi Negara yang tercinta, Di curahkan bakti penuh setia…”
Oh, how long ago was that?
Another friend recalled the songwhen I mentioned it to him. Yes, at 60 years old, he can still remember the lyrics.
There’s also Keranamu Malaysia (lyrics by Pak Ngah/Siso Kopratasa) which fronted a six-year campaign prior to the country’s 50th year of independence in 2007.
“...Keranamu kami bebas merdeka, Keranamu nyawa dipertaruhkan, Keranamu rela kami berjuang, Demi bangsa kedaulatan negara...”
Before these two songs, there was another famous song, one that promoted unity called Muhibbah, penned by Saiful Bahari.
But it’s Setia and KeranaMu Malaysia that will play endlessly in your mind after you first hear it.
Back then, RTM would air these songs ever so often that you learnt the lyrics just by listening to it over and over again.
And if we look back in time, some of our patriotic songs — which unfortunately are no longer aired — date back to pre-Merdeka days when the country was referred to as “Malaya” in the lyrics. These songs were used to nurture patriotism in Malayans.
A few years after the country gained independence, the first prime minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, had asked Radio Malaya to come up with a collection of national tunes. Celebrated musicians the likes of Jimmy Boyle, Alfonso Soliano and Tony Fonseka penned some songs.
My personal favourite is Tanah Pusaka by Tan Sri Ahmad Merican, with the lyrics by his music assistant, Wan Ahmad Kamal.
According to reports, the song was first documented in a Radio Malaya songbook from 1961 and recorded internationally by Indonesian-born Dutch singer, Sandra Reemer, in 1962. The song speaks of the country’s beauty, its multiracial citizens, unity and peace.
Music does make a highly effective propaganda vehicle and can be used to raise the patriotic spirit and foster unity among the people.
In fact, music was a prominent feature on the homefront and the battlefields throughout World War 1.
“Governments often used it as an effective means for inspiring fervour, pride, patriotism and action in the citizens in order to gain manpower, homeland support and funds,” one report said.
Some of the most obvious types of musical propaganda are found in patriotic songs, national anthems, and military music. The social necessity of having a national anthem began with England in the mid-1700s, followed by Spain and France later in the century.
The report further said no country, as history proves, can afford to ignore the patriotic force capable of being brought into play through the power of music, either in song or in instrumental form, both of which performed their part in inciting to action.
It is said some songs written by British composer, musician, dramatist, novelist and actor Charles Dibdin had such a potent influence in war that in 1803, the British government engaged him to write a series of them “to keep alive the national feelings against the French”.
During World War 2, popular music served as American government propaganda by helping to support pre-existing cultural assumptions about the Japanese. Government officials understood the power of music and used itto mobilise the American people in support of the war against Japan.
Here and now, we have a good example in how cheerleading squad Boys of Straits rally the JDT fans at the team’s home and away matches.
Like other international football clubs that have their own songs and cheers, JDT, too, have their own.
In fact, there are many songs that the Boys of Straits will sing to build up the spirit of togetherness among the fans of the football team. It is amazing to see how they form the camaraderie by singing these songs non-stop way before the match starts until the final whistle.
Even little kids have memorised the lyrics to Luaskan Kuasamu Johor.
I’m pretty sure the recording softhe old patriotic songs can be found in Arkib Negara, which our national broadcaster aswell as theprivate television and radio stations can air, especially when the country celebrates National Day and Malaysia Day.
Failing which, one can always search the Internet. I have found gems on YouTube, such as Malaysia Tanah Airku, Kemegahan Negaraku and Malaya Permai, in the original versions. These days, these songs have been given fresh makeovers and have evolved into numerous renditions.
Fauziah Ismail is a United Nations’ Journalism fellow and Wolfson College Cambridge press fellow. She has 30 years of experience as a journalist, half of it with the ‘Business Times’.